Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: The Sandman
Date: 13 Apr 25 - 04:09 PM

From Boston Harbour we set sail,
When it was blowing a devil of a gale,
With our ringtail set abaft the mizzen peak
And our Rule Britannia ploughing up the deep.
With a big bow-wow! Tow-row-row!
Fol de rol de ri do day!
Up comes the skipper from down below,
And he looks aloft and he looks alow,
And he looks alow and he looks aloft,
And its “Coil up your ropes there, fore and aft!”
Then down to his cabin he quickly crawls,
And unto his steward he loudly bawls,
“Go, mix me a glass that will make me cough,
For it's better weather here than it is up aloft.”
We poor sailors standing on the deck,
With the blasted rain all a-pouring down our necks;
Not a drop of grog would he to us afford,
But he damned our eyes at every other word.
Now the old beggar's dead and gone,
Darn his eyes, he left a son;
And if to us he doesn't prove frank,
We'll very soon make him walk the plank.
And one thing which we have to crave,
Is that he may have a watery grave,
So we'll heave him down into some dark hole,
Where the sharks'll have his body and the devil have his soul.

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 15 Apr 25 - 05:57 AM

> Wor Geordie's lost his penker

That survives in the Spinners' version "Johnnie's lost his marble", which was carefully translated from the Geordie. The one bit I use from the original is "tarrier", which I take care to explain first.

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: Richard Mellish
Date: 15 Apr 25 - 04:13 PM

> Well it wasn't really in folk clubs. it was when i was gigging Irish theme bars and Irish pubs. That particular one was in Nottingham, next to a police station. there were requests for Sean South, but the landlady was having none of it.

In 2022, the University of Limerick, the Traditional Song Forum and the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance jointly sponsored a conference at the University. On the day after the formal conference, a few of us who had stayed on were taken to visit a few significant locations in Limerick City, accompanied by relevant songs. One of the locations was a cemetery, and one of the songs sung there was Sean South of Garryowen. Irish rebel songs in general do indeed need to be treated with great circumspection nowadays but, having the song in my head from many years ago, in the special circumstances of remembrance in a graveyard, and learning that South himself had been an unpopular troublemaker in his home city, there was I, a Brit, joining in the song.

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 15 Apr 25 - 04:18 PM

that's a point.
Its a while since I heard Drill Ye Tarriers Drill!

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: GUEST,Rob Mad Jock Wright
Date: 20 Apr 25 - 08:53 AM

If you want Good music , be it Trad Contemporary, Jazz , Blues, even Poetry, Cajun, Gospel Rock, and Pop come to the Twa Tams Open mic on a Sunday in Perth and you will get most of the above played and sung by a very high Standard of performers.

There is music on most nights just pick your genre ,you will not be disappointed.

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Apr 25 - 03:19 PM

what do you mean- 'pick your genre'? poetry all night- cajun all night, jazz all night- each 'genre' as defined by the music police?- sounds dreadful

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: The Sandman
Date: 21 Apr 25 - 02:31 AM

How much is that doggy in the window?

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: r.padgett
Date: 21 Apr 25 - 03:45 AM

A lot of songs are still there, but I do think singing from a mobile phone is poor form

I researched songs I knew or should have and learnt or recorded. Remember the oral tradition needs YOU to learn not just the words but the nuances and stops acquired over time by others singers through constant singing in the aural/oral tradition

I went to Sheffield sessions on Sunday and a lad sang from his mobile ~ I had recorded the song 14 years ago and resurrected it recently ~ seems you sing one and it escalates like falling dominoes

Ray

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: The Sandman
Date: 21 Apr 25 - 04:22 AM

Idreamt I dwelled in Marble Halls
Lyrics
I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls
With vassels and serfs at my side
And of all who assembled within those walls
That I was the hope and the pride
I had riches all too great to count
And a high ancestral name
But I also dreamt which pleased me most
That you loved me still the same
That you loved me
You loved me still the same
That you loved me
You loved me still the same
I dreamt that suitors sought my hand
That knights upon bended knee
And with vows no maidens heart could withstand
They pledged their faith to me
And I dreamt that one of that noble host
Came forth my hand to claim
But I also dreamt which charmed me most
That you loved me still the same
That you loved me
You loved me still the same
That you loved me
You loved me still the same

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 21 Apr 25 - 05:03 AM

Singers and musicians have to start somewhere! Singarounds and sessions give them the opportunity.

Performance standards rise with experience and the example of better performers.

Repertoire varies widely, but I'm always relieved when somebody stands up to sing - and perform! - a traditional song.

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 21 Apr 25 - 01:03 PM

And blast! And Fire!

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 21 Apr 25 - 02:07 PM

Someone sang "Modern Major General" at ours last time. It was very good and quite suitable I thought.

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: GUEST,Keith Price
Date: 21 Apr 25 - 03:10 PM

Guest,henryp "Singers and musicians have to start somewhere!
Yes ! at home. They should learn the songs/tunes there. Singing them in public is Where you hone the performance, not practise the song.
I've witnessed someone swipe across their ipad, then declare 'Oh, here's one I've never done before'

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 21 Apr 25 - 05:04 PM

I'm with what Henry says in its entirety. I regularly attend a singaround which is very welcoming to the extent that any newcomers are very much encouraged to contribute. Anything goes but it's pretty obvious by what the regulars are singing and what goes down well. We get older pop songs, self-penned material, poetry, and mostly of a very high standard. As long as the regular folk scene material dominates and goes down well, as it does, then we prefer the variety and standard we aim for.
I too have been downhearted by poor use of a phone, but a young lass yesterday very reluctantly eventually had a go and she had a beautiful voice. She might just be encouraged by the response to have a go at the type of material that dominates. Either way it's a win win from our point of view. Casual drop-ins are always very complimentary at what they hear.

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: The Sandman
Date: 22 Apr 25 - 02:33 AM

Thread Drift, can we stay on subject "Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs"

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 22 Apr 25 - 04:55 AM

Yes, Keith, of course people should learn the songs/tunes at home. Some people are natural performers, but for others singing in public is a big step. You can sing a song perfectly 50 times in your bedroom, but it doesn't mean you can stand in front of an audience and remember the words! I have noticed that, on occasion, people who persevere are rewarded with greater applause than others who put on an, apparently effortless, polished performance.

As for songs no longer heard in folk clubs, topical songs can have a relatively brief life-span. Tom Paxton has written many songs inspired by news events - what he has called "short-shelf-life songs"- although sometimes topical songs take on a greater significance. I haven't heard any songs about Viet Nam, nuclear power or abortion recently. Anniversaries - the death of Jean de Menezes, for example - may bring some once-familiar songs back.

But any song you mention is likely to bring a response of, "I heard that last week!"

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: Sol
Date: 22 Apr 25 - 06:15 AM

I recall some famous comedian saying on The Johnny Carson Show that if he tells a joke on TV then that's it gone however Frank Sinatra however, can sing "My Way" a zillion times and each time the audience laps it up.
In the same vein, comedy songs have a short shelf life while most other songs, especially the ones with a bit of quality, can last forever. Comedy songs about topical subjects of the day become 'yesterday's papers' very quickly.

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: GUEST,Keith Price
Date: 22 Apr 25 - 07:57 AM

I'd like to respond Henry, but Dick is right, it's thread drift.
Good subject though, maybe start your own thread.
Back to this subject.
The folk revival is totally artificial.We have spent hours on end singing and listening to folk music,at folk clubs, sessions, singarounds and festivals etc.When we're not listening live we play CDs, youtube and such.It's little wonder we get tired of some songs
Traditional singers/musicians never had so much music.They would never hear the songs and tunes as often as we do. For long enough songs were sung in the home with family and neighbours, occasionally.

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: The Sandman
Date: 22 Apr 25 - 04:06 PM

Joe Hill ?

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 22 Apr 25 - 04:29 PM

Joe Hill - sung at the April Singaround at Arnside Sailing Club!

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: Sol
Date: 22 Apr 25 - 05:57 PM

The Sandman's post - Joe Hill?

"From San Diego up to Maine,
In every mine and mill -
Where working men defend their rights
It's there you'll find Joe Hill."

He's still with us ;-)

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 22 Apr 25 - 10:03 PM

We watch as seasons come and go
But hard times always stay, we know
A hundred years long, you've been gone
Your song, Joe Hill, still carries on

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 24 Apr 25 - 07:27 AM

Joe Hill, whose first language was Swedish, is also remembered for the phrase 'pie in the sky'.

The Wobblies competed with the Salvation Army for attention on the street. The Salvation Army promised people their reward in heaven; the Wobblies preferred to get their reward here on earth.

Joe Hill took the refrain of a Salvation Army hymn;
'In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore'
and rewrote it as;
'You will eat by and by
In that glorious land above the sky
Work and pray, live on hay
You'll get pie in the sky when you die'

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 24 Apr 25 - 06:19 PM

I heard both 'Martin Said To His Man' and 'The Manchester Rambler' sung this evening,

DC

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: r.padgett
Date: 26 Apr 25 - 09:01 AM

Yes they are all there somewhere ~ come and go in phases imv

Ray

Subject: RE: Songs no longer heard in uk folk clubs
From: GUEST,Tom Patterson
Date: 26 Apr 25 - 03:35 PM

I suspect Kumbaya might well fit the bill here - frequently played decades ago but never heard in folk clubs now?